Electrical heater and method of manufacturing it



G. H. MOREY Feb. 21, 1950 ELECTRICAL HEATER AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING IT 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed. Dec. 14, 1946 INVENTOR. GLEN H. MOEEY BYfimwlLaZ a Will/uni Feb. 21, 1950 G. H. MOREY 2,498,442

ELECTRICAL HEATER AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING IT Filed D60. 14, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. GL EN H. M REY 54+ BYdmzdzd & 5mm: F! G 4 A TTORNEYJ Patented Feb. 21, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ELECTRICAL HEATER AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING IT 6 Claims.

This invention relates to an electrical heater and a method of manufacturing it. More particularly, it relates to an electrical resistance furnace useful at high temperatures and to an improved method. of incorporating a heating element in a refractory support shaped to conform to the outline of an article to be heated, said element being spaced in a predetermined manner and in non-shorting relationship for heating an article.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a rigid heating element made to conform to the shape of articles of simple or complex outline. It is a further object to provide a method for embedding a metallic resistance heating element in a rigid, supporting, heat-resistant, nonconducting material without leaving the heating element exposed to damaging contact.

It is an object of this invention to provide an electrical furnace capable of high heat output, said furnace being useful in direct contact with an article to be heated, said heater having the resistance elements embedded in a rigid, coherent, heat-resistant material and passing through passageways or tunnels lying generally below the surface from which heat is transmitted to the article being heated, and a further object i to provide a method for making such a heater.

Heretofore, heating elements had been made by cutting or molding open channels or grooves in refractory forms and then placing the electrical resistance element therein. For example, a simple type of hot plate may be made by forming a flat surfaced plate of dense, hard refractory, having a series of grooves cut or molded in one side, and the heating element is inserted into these grooves after the refractory has been baked or burned. This type of heater may be surrounded by a metal cover or shell to form a hot plate upon which the article to be heated is rested. As a rule, these plates operate at comparatively low temperatures, below 500 C. Such elements may also be made in the form of rectangular boxes or cylinders with the resistance element held in spaced relationship by means of grooves or channels. When used in muffle-type furnaces, the heating surface is of the radiant type, in which case the electrical resistance wire is wrapped around the outside of the refractory supporting shell. Insulating material is packed around the outside to cover the wires and insulate the furnace to prevent heat losses and to keep the temperature as uniform as possible. The furnace is then enclosed in a shell.

In certain types of heaters, for example, for

heating flasks, a cone-shaped refractory body is made with grooves cut around th outside and resistance wire wrapped around this. The flask is supported above the hot cone.

In other types of furnaces for heating small flasks, a refractory plate with a hole in the center is made to hold the flask above and away from the electrical resistance element, which is exposed. These are constructed in such a way that they cannot be used in contact 'With the vessel. If in contact, glass vessels would be cracked because of localized overheating, and metal vessels would short out. Such heaters are often shorted out because of the introduction inadvertently of a foreign conducting substance such as scale. Only the bottom of the flask is heated by this type heater. Heating is by radiation.

Flexible heating mantels have also been devised, such as those described in my United States Patent 2,231,506. These are useful at comparatively low temperature operations since the asbestos or glass cloth employed becomes brittle or is destroyed at high temperatures, for example, above 500 C.

In a broad embodiment the invention comprises a heater or furnace comprising a body of rigid, coherent, heat-resistant material permanently shaped to conform to a surface to be heated and having passageways in the form of tunnels therethrough, and an electrical resistance heating element passing through said tunnels, the diameter of said element being less than the diameter of said passageway by an amount greater than the difference in expansion between the element and the heat-resistant material.

In a specific embodiment, the invention comprises a method of manufacturing a heater which comprises forming an envelope or form conforming to the shape and of a size to fit an article to be heated, sewing or otherwise attaching thereto at spaced intervals refractory spacers or holders such as beads or other heat-resistant insulators, and a resistance heating element such as a wire passing through said spacers, embedding the element and refractory spacers in a plastic refractory material such as fire clay cement, asbestos cement or the like, leaving connecting leads exposed, thereafter hardening said refractory, for example by heating, so that it will retain its shape with the heating element embedded therein.

In another embodiment the invention comprises a method of manufacturing a rigid heater or furnace which comprises molding a plastic refractory material around a form having the shape and size of a surface to be heated and forming in said refractory at the time it is molded a continuous tunnel, said tunnel being larger than an electrical heating element to be placed therein, and passing an electrical heating element through the tunnel thus formed.

In another embodiment, the invention comprises a method for forming a heater, which comprises sewing or otherwise forming a fabric envelope, jacket, or formto conform 'to the outline of an article to be heated, stringing or otherwise attaching beads or other spacers on a heating element, attaching said beads at spaced intervals to the fabric and embedding thebe'ad-s'in a'plastic refractory material and thereafter treating it "to harden the refractor thereby forming a heater of substantially the shape of the article.

Broadly, the invention comprises .aheatcr having a supporting structure, insulating material therein, a rigid refractory having embedded therein a resistance heating element strung on spaced refractory beads. The heater can also have a fabric lining for the pocket in said rigid refractory said fabric being attached to the v 'The heater "of this invention has the advantage that itjc'an "be made fto'confor'm to theoutline ora aiuu 'toibe heated so that heat can be uniformly applied. It has the further advantage that it can 'bemade in sections conforming ravenous parts of an irregularly shapedobject and the parts can be'as'sembled around theobject after it is inplace. For example a valve may"fbejinstalled'infa'lineyeind a heater which is injtwo or more "sectionscan be applied "to cover the valve except for the connecting lines and, valvestem This takes care of a 'difiicult problem encountered where lines "and appurtenane sthereto must bekept hot. n I Another-advantage "is that the element may be 'completely' embedded" in a refractory support rvenusg short ci'rci'iii'is from 'iii'et al oxide scale, an the like. Moreoynwhena glass or asbestos fabricenvel'opebr liner is used, the 'h'ea'ter' 'can be used with glass or other fragile articles with greaterfsafety'beause of the cus'hioning' eifect iihei r c i a i lflote only can the heating elenientibefkept protected at' all times since it"do'es not touch the sense to behea't'ed, becau'sethe resistancereler nent lies in a tunnel-like passageway slightly larger 7 in diameter "than the element, cracking and'spallingofthe refractory is avoided. I-lence furnaces for use at high temperatures above 500 C. can be made .T em th do manuf re h h van a e that heaters can bemade which couldnot economicallybe made before. By thismethod, irregularly shaped heaters to be placed in or around articles of complementary shape can be supplied. I-Ieretofore this couldnot be done, at least by any practical method. The heaters can be made in sections and the sections connected inseries orin parallel to heat the object. Alternatively, each section can be independently controlled. The method permits the manufacturer to space the element in an desired way so as to 'put more or less heat into a given part of the article to be. heated, depending 'on special needs. The 'electricalresistance element is placed at a uniform distance under the surface of the 're fractory support which lies adjacent the article. .This application describes and'claims modifications ofthe' general types of heaters" disclosed in my c'opending' application Serial No. 590,845,

4 filed April 28, 1945, now Patent No. 2,419,848 of April 29, 1947.

The use of a combustible fabric envelope during manufacture permits the heater to be made entirely of rigid refractory such as fire clay cement, or the like. This may be desirable in some types of service. The use of a refractory liner protects both the article and the refractory support in which the element is embedded.

Figure 1 is a horizontal sectional view of one embodiment of the heater useful for heating spherical vessels.

sembled heater shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a detail of the fabric (sewed to theifra-ctory spacer or bead), the heating element, and the refractory support, all in section, and showing the relationship to each other.

"Figure 4 is an end view partly in section of a heater or furnace for use with cylindrical articles. "Figure 5 a fragmentary sectional view along the lines 5-5 of the heater shown in Figure l.

'Figure'fi is a perspective,viewpartlyinsection illustrating one step in the-formation of a heater. Figure '7 is a perspective viewpartly in section of the heater in a further state of formation.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary perspective view of a completed heating elernent'for use with a cylindrical article.

Figure 9 is aperspectiveview partly in section of another method of forming a furnace according to this invention.

Figures 10 to 12 are details to illustrate various tunnels and heating elements that may be used.

Figures =l3 an'd 14 illustrate another method of forming a-heater and various methods of attaching refractory spacers. Figure 15 illustrates a section ofa finished heater made according to the method of Figures '13 and 14.

Referring to the figures, i represents-a fabric liner for the heater. This liner can be made of flexible fire-proof materialsuch as asbestos fabric,-glass f a bric,;and the like,or it can be made of a combustible material which can be burne'd'away after the-heater has been formed into a rigid shape. It can also-be a liner of metal, for example, stainless steel, as will be described later. V H I The fabric is sewed or' otherwise shaped to conformto the outlines of the surface to be heated. ,It is illustrated in Figure 1 as a heater to'be applied to objects such as round bottomed flasks, but itis contemplated that any shape can be formed. When a fire-proof, non-combustible material is used, the fabric may remain'a part of the finished structure. This has the advantage, when 'glass cloth or asbestos cloth'is used; ofpartially insulating the heater, protecting the refractory support against chipping or cracking, and also serving to cushion the article, which is important from the breakage standpoint whenapplied to-gla'ss "or earthenware vessels. If a combustible material is used, it is burned awayor otherwise removed afterthe refractory suppoithas been hardened. In this case, ordinary cloth can be used.

The: lin'er'can-be formed-of a plastic material which is cast or molded into the propershape from a pattern, or from the article itself, instead of being sewe'd'as is the case with a fabric. The fabricjacket thus formed is then sewed'to the heating element. A metal form may be made, for example, by casting; spinning, drawing, punching, hammering, or otherwise suitable means. Means for attaching the heating element and spacers may be provided, for example, as shown in Figures 13 and 15.

The heating element comprises any suitable type of electrical resistance element which is flexible and susceptible of being formed into shapes by bending. In general, it may comprise a wire or a helical coil, although by the use of properly designed refractory spacers, elements in the form of ribbons can be used. The element is strung upon beads which are of a refractory character. The beads may be spaced apart as shown in Figure 1, or can be continuous as shown in Figure 9. Usually the element is attached to the fabric by sewing the beads or other spacers to the fabric at frequent intervals. In this way, the element can be attached in any desired pattern in order to obtain the desired distribution of heat.

The spacer bead can be sewed to the fabric or liner by passing a thread on either side of it around the element and then through the fabric as shown in Figure 3; or by passing the thread through the bead and then through the fabric. Alternatively, the beads or spacers can be sewed to the fabric and the element threaded through them. Instead of beads, refractory clips or other spacers may be used. The spacers may be clipped or sewed to the fabric and the element slipped into place afterward. The beads may be of the shape shown or may be shaped like spaghetti. As shown in Figure 3, the hole in the spacer is larger than the resistance wire. This is desirable since the wire expands at a different rate than the refractory when heated or cooled. The slight oversize permits ready threading of the bead onto the wire and also provides space for expansion of the wire upon heating, thus minimizing the tendency of the furnace to crack or spall due to temperature changes.

The thread used is usually of glass fiber especially when it is desired to maintain the association between the fabric liner or envelope and the beads after the heater is completed. In this way, the threads keep the envelope from being pulled out of place. When a combustible envelope material is used and is to be burned away or otherwise removed after the heater is finally formed, the thread is usually combustible, for example, cotton. Combustible thread can be used in most cases even with the heat-proof liners, since the liner can be held in place by means such as flanges in the completed heater, after the manner shown in Figure 2. The liner rests on the refractory A which has been hardened and hence holds the spacers and the heating element firmly embedded. The article to be heated rests on the liner. By the time the heater is ready for use the thread has served its purpose and is no longer needed to keep the elements properly located.

The element is indicated generally as a wire 3 and the bead, or spacer, as 5. Figure 3 shows the bead 5 and wire 3 in cross-section, embedded in a refractory material 4 and with the fabric liner I associated with the inner wall or heating surface of refractory 4. It is this surface (or the liner) which lies in contact with the article to be heated. As shown in Figure 3, the heating element is held in place by a loop of thread passed around spacer 5. The refractory, in plastic form, is packed around the spacer and wire, thus embedding them.

Figure 2 shows how a number of turns of heating element may be incorporated in the simple hemispherical shape illustrated. Figure 1 shows tory has been hardened.

6 the manner in which the wire is maintained in spaced relationship to the liner and the refractory material and how the beads may be spaced from each other. The beads may also be placed side by side forming a continuous tunnel.

The heater and rigid refractory support can be enclosed in a supporting shell comprising a side wall 2 and a bottom piece I which can be of steel, asbestos board or other type of refractory or heat-resistant board. A ring 8 is provided at the top of side wall or shell 2. The shell 2 is held to bottom plate I and ring 8 by screws 9. Ring 8 is formed from a block of insulation material such as asbestos-gypsum board which is cut in L shape with a ledge I3 to support the heating unit. A circular top plate I4 is placed upon the assembled heater and held in place by screws I5 extending into ring 8. The projecting flanged rim I2 of the refractory heater unit rests on ledge I3 and is held firmly in place by plate I4 which presses on rim l2. When a liner I is used, the edges may be turned back and held firmly in place by ring I4 pressing it against rim [2 when the ring is screwed down.

Extending through an insulated opening H in one of the side walls are leads ID to the heating element which are attachable to a suitable source of electric power. The heating element is embedded in the rigid, coherent, heat-resistant nonconductor, herein referred to as the refractory 4, so that no part of the element can come in contact with the article to be heated. The element lies below the heating surface of the refractory, that is, below the point of contact between the refractory and the article, even when the liner I is not used. The depth to which the resistant element is buried depends upon the thickness and shape of spacer 5.

The apparatus is formed by making the fabric envelope or jacket to conform to the shape of the object to be heated. The heater can be made in sections of more than one differing shape, each corresponding to a segment of the article. In this case the jacket is made to conform to the shape of the part of the article to which it is to be applied. This can be done by cutting darts and taking tucks in cloth and sewing it to shape. Beads 5 are strung on heating element 3 at spaced intervals and are sewed to the fabric. This can be done by looping part of the thread around the individual beads and passing the thread through the fabric as shown in Figure 3. Clips or other fasteners can be used. If they are conductors of electricity they can be removed after the refrac- If non-conducting clips are used they can be left in place, and if made of organic material can be destroyed by burning.

When it is desired to heat one particular segment of the article to a greater extent than another segment, the amount of heating element and its distribution can be arranged such as to accomplish this by distributing proportionately more of the element over certain parts of the envelope or form than others, this being done at the time the heater is made. Heaters made to order in this way have a large demand in the chemical industries.

A refractory cement or other plastic or moldable material which can be hardened into a nonconducting, heat-resisting, rigid support, is then molded around the envelope. This can be done by placing a predetermined amount of cement in a vessel having the proper dimensions and then embedding the beads and heating element in the cement by thrusting against the inside of the 7 1227-. envelope with sufficient: force and over enoug a a n tsmh h s motes e ast c ma e end-at the e lgefi the elem; Yf ,tory 39 take thed nape, I "I'hep'l'asti I ter al 'mwe lta n a e qeni ntlqr' x dried and hardene ting are relatively t i h em ture-ll, 1 1, 1 p j l ui dp .sistency .,tha t once it"h been'inolded 'td'the desired shape itwill ma tam its shapeiuntil hard. J? ...as$ist n the embeddin e eii f patterh c tre ma a iee; hape the ea .is to -talge and the f abricgan'b'e' s reaiiaawu d it, the refractory being molded to'the outside. The plastic-refractory 'c an be I appliediwith a trowel, or kneaded I around the spacers by hand. t

refractory cement maybe of 'the typ'of furnace cement that f ormsa stone -hard mass,-

lsuchd as mixtures of iire clay, 'burn'd 'fir'e clay find a,bindersuch as sodium silicate; or various modifications of such furnace cements, which'may pontain sand, silica, asbestos, mica, orothr refractory substances which are added tdmodify the physical properties (such ascoefiicient of expansion,, etc,) ofthe cement; or: asbestos cement, which may be powdered or finely diyided asbestos to, which a binder as Portland cement has been addedg 'or modified mixtures of j'more or less bulkyinsulating substances such'as asbestos, yermiculite or mica, diatomaceous earth,'kisselguhr, m agnesia, etc., with a binder'such as Port- ,vland ceme t The latter typehas the advantage of beingf rigid, but not" hard or stony; having resistanceto high temperatures; being an insulator; of light, weightfoilering a cushioning effect; and being easily handled andi'inexp'n'sive, .ther by. t i t t s 95w- '5' hen the beads of spacersand th'e element have been firmly embedded in the refractory material, it is dried and heated at a high'enough temperature so that it takes on a permanent, v rigid shape. the last-described type'refractory material is used, as a'rule no specialf'care' need betaken duringthe drying step. However, .with thehard, stony'types, the drying steps m'ust be carefully carried out to avoid checking'or ',cracl ing of the rnass "After drying the heater is heated to a high temperature, preferablyabove 5 0 ;0f 'C ,'Ihi s' m aybe done in a furnace, oven or kiln; or may be carried'o'ut'by' ineans'of thembedded heating elements whichare attachedto a suitable sourceoi electric poweri Thet'ein'p'erature should be raised gra'dually,- especiallyin "the region of between 250-and 400 C.', 'to"aifoid "damage to the refractory by too rapid drying".

A refractory heating unit containing the 'element firmly embedded'and protected from injury -du e to short circuits and the like is thus formed. The element may be large or small. 'It canbe incorporateddn some other supporting structure or can beused in the form just described. It has greatutili ty, for example to heat react'ion kettles of 5 50' gal. capacity, valves, pipe lines, "return bends, etc. a f I vI' The particular heater illustrated in'Figures 1 and 2 is assembled by fastening side wall 2 to ring 3, putting the heatingunit in place-'with the rim l2 'resting on ledge -and 'clampingfit in place by screwing top ring'ld 'to 'ri'ngS, The leads q are carried through insulator"! l. --It is then inverted and an insulatingmaterialsuch as asbestos or magnesia 6 is packed into the interior. Finally, bottom plate I is iastened intopl ac'e. The, insulating material fi preierab ly comprises a loose powdered material cene magne ia, to Pre h .95 ,,iq i e tfit i,t e use b wardly. Thus, the full benefit of the heater can be economically obtained. "ffTh'' fabric" liner"! for the article-receiving pocket" inrefracto'r'y 1 can be ofribbed form. 5 Thisis advantageous when using'glassorasbestos iabricgsihce itten'd's to absorb'mechanical shock. This "is esp'cially useful for 'use'with glass; or other types of' 'breakable articleswhich are-to be area; Itals'o protects the refractory material 'hich'the electricelem'ent'isembedded; Glass or sbestoaclothfabric can beused in heaters for use below" abbut-500 C;,' but for furnaces operatihgabove thistemperature metal liners "maybe used, or noliner at all".

A'l't'hbii'glithe heaters are particularly adapted ti heating"thebiitsideofarticles, they can also bdmaddtofheat'the' inside: In this case, the 'fabr'icda'n' be sewed into 'the'desired "shape, turned wro' gfside out and the element and spacers sewed ten; "It'isthehturnedmight'side out and the plastic refractory applied to the inside, embed- "fdin'g the element and'causing the fabric to assume its expandedform: The fabric in this case is on i'theouts'id''and willlay "against the inner surface 5"ofthe yessel."Heaters for concave surfaces may be finade int s'imilar ma'nner'. r

"'Aho'ther' embodiment or the furnace is shown "iif Fi'gur eet This heater may be used to heat a cylindricalvessel or'pipe. For example, it may 3cfbea portableiurnace to be used in connection "annealing butt'welds in pipes, which are "'bftenfwelde'd in place'in building'pipe lines for -oil orfgas "By"m'aking these'heaters in hinged 's'ectidns'theycan' be placed around the pipe and "attached'by an extensionline to an electric power "source: Ti ie"cylind'er lfi'may be a pipe or cylindrical "article to be heated. It may also be, for present purposesya form of the 'proper'size and shape to 4o"beused in the'various steps ofmanufacturingthe heater." v Around part of the form It and conformingto 'it, is a refractory material H, the center or heat- 'hg"surfae*of which is shaped to conform and fit fcloselytdthe'article'i'fi when in service; Runnine" longitudinally through this refractory from can td'endai'et tunnels l3 through which elec- "tr'icalresista'nce'wires lil'jare passed. 'Thesetun- "inels" may be formed in variousways described ed lie'r'eiriaft'er." Insulating material 20 may be "placed'ar'ound therefractory material l! and the whole heater may b'e'encased in jacket 2!, which "may beof metal'or other suitable material and "may ccmpri'se'suitable means for operatively'as- '"s"ociating theheater and the article to be heated. "'An'end plate T22 may be attached to the shell 2 l byme'ans of. screws 23 or othersuitable means. 'I'A groove 25 may befcut in end plate 2Z'to corre- 'spond'to .therow of tunnels iBto permit wire l9 (io'to be passed from one row of tunnels to the next "ina continuous manner without touching the end plate 22. I It visalsdwithin the scope of the invention to "attacha second section generally designated at 25,'t'othe just-described heaterby means'of hinge The tunnels" may be formed in various Ways. 'For example, one or more refractory beads such as thoseishownin Figure Sand designated as 21 may'be employed.- The holes through these beads 'are'slightly'largerithan the'heating element I9. "'By using a single long bead or tube, or by placing 'a number'of i'them end to end, a continuous tunnel to formed. The size of the tunnel is such as: to allow forthe greater expansion ofthe' wire than of the refractory material IT. The oversize is preferably enough for this purpose with a slight safety factor. As a consequence, when high temperatures are attained, chipping or cracking of the refractory due to the unequal expansion of the metal and the refractory is avoided. Some types of refractory, such as asbestos cement, mixtures of asbestos, vermiculite and cement, and the like, do not split or spall like the hard, stony refractories do. By using a slightly over-size hole through the refractory this difliculty is avoided in all types of refractory. The amount of oversize will depend largely on the temperatures at which the furnace is employed, the character of the resistance, and the actual size of the resistance element. As a rule, a number of beads 2'! are used and aligned because in this way a heater of any desired length can be made. One of the greatest advantages of the present method of manufacture is that custom-made or tailormade heaters can be manufactured at comparatively low cost without the use of dies or molds especially made at great expense for forming each refractory, this being necessary by prior art methods of furnace manufacture. For example, the beads used need not be exactly the length of the heater but by using standard size individual beads, for example, from about to 3" long, a heater of practically any length can be manufactured. As will be seen hereinafter, the re- 1 maining materials used can also be standard, thereby cutting tool and overhead costs and reducing the manufacturing problems.

Another method of forming the tunnel is to use a waxed string or wire such as that shown in ;i.-.

Figures 6 and 10. In this case, wire or string 28 may be heavily coated with Wax 29 or other combustible or preferably low-melting organic substance. The refractory material I! can be molded around this wire or string as previously described. After the plastic refractory I! has been dried, the temperature is raised and this causes the wax 29 to melt, leaving a tunnel. The string or wire 28 can be withdrawn from the refractory leaving a tunnel the full length thereof. The heating element can then be inserted into this tunnel.

Alternatively, the wire 28 can be the heating element itself and can be left in place. In this case the heating element is encased with enough 5 wax so that when the unit is heated the wax will run out or be burned out leaving a slightly oversize tunnel through which the resistance element passes. In this way'it is unnecessary to remove the wire from the tunnel and replace it with the heating element.

When the waxed wire or cord. is used it can be manufactured as follows, referring to Figure 6. The wire 28 covered with wax 29 is passed back and forth through holes 30 in end piece 3!. The' end piece 3! and the corresponding end piece 32 are held to the proper length by means of spacers 33 and 34, shown as angle irons. The row of holes 30 is arranged so that each is located substantially equidistant from the pipe or cylinder 35, which may be a form in the shape of the surface of the article to be heated, or may be the article itself. This row of holes is located in such a way that when the plastic refractory material is packed around it the waxed wires will be completely covered on all sides with the refractory. This is the preferred way of embedding the wires. It is, of course, possible that a few of the Wires be not completely embedded for their full length-but the wires should always during the manufacturing stage.

lie below the surface of the refractory intended to lie in contact with the article, so that the element will not come in contact with the article when it is in place. The end pieces 3!, 32 may be semi-circular in shape and may support frame in proper relation to the article 35. These end pieces 3|, 32 not only serve to hold the waxed wires in position, but also serve as a mold against which the plastic refractory may be pressed as the wires are embedded. Side retaining members 36 and 37 having a lip 38 may be attached to the end members in any convenient way, for example, by means of screws 39. Thus, the side pieces 36 and 37, the lip 38 and the end pieces 3| and 32 serve as a rough form to retain the plastic refractory material when it is molded around the Wires or waxed cord. In Figure 7 the refractory I1 is shown after it has been molded by hand around the heating element. In this figure the wire I9 is shown passing through beads 21. Except for the fact that the tunnels are made by means of the beads in Figure 7 and by means of the waxed wires in Figure 6, the step of packing the plastic refractory in place is the same. Instead of having straight side walls as illustrated in Figure 7, the side retaining member can be curved or shaped in any form desired.

The plastic material, having been molded around the wires, is pressed against form 35 so that the inner or heating surface assumes the exact shape and size of the article to be heated.

The entire apparatus as assembled at this point can be placed in a drying oven and gradually dried in such a manner as to prevent cracking until refractory ll hardens sufficiently to hold its own shape. At this point the side pieces 36 and 3V can be removed. If the end pieces 3| and 32 form a part of the final heater they can be left in place. If not, they can be removed by cutting the waxed wires 28 at the return bends and heating the mass sufficiently to melt the wax and then withdraw the wires. The refractory after being dried is then heated gradually and over a long period of time in a furnace to further dry and harden it into its final shape. The temperature is ordinarily carried to a point higher than that which will be employed in the final furnace. This is done so as to avoid development at a later date of cracks, crevices or channels due to imperfect heating of the refractory The temperatures employed are usually of the order of above 1000 C. The resistance heating wires are then passed back and forth through the tunnels, giving the appearance of the heater in Figure 8. A groove or channel can be molded in the end of the piece by adding a simple boss to the end pieces 3! and 32 to protect the wires. This is an alternative to the form shown in Figure 5.

After burning, the hardened refractory may be assembled as shown in Figures 4 and 5.

End pieces 43 and 44 are inserted between the end beads of each string and the nail which secures and supports them. This can be done by cutting slots 45 in the end pieces to permit the board to fit over the cord. This is particularly desirable when the cord 40 comprises the electrical resistance element. Side pieces 46 and 47 are made with tongues to fit into the grooves in end pieces 43 and M. and to rest upon base piece 42. These are placed in position and the refractory material 48 is packed around the beads wires the sla k m y be taken up by pu lin the; hge-40 until .the wire rests against the-end o 'the mas bloek o efract y The leads f o i es 41! may hen h at hed n electr oal rowe 7501 3? a d t h at or al inin t eb oc can be suppli d directly n hisman- :n re h ate thus rmed in u s may t en;.:b. c osed inn suit le easin usin insu a on when ne ded nrall x p th heatin ,sn tfae to'for a hot'piate. W ena m x eo asbes os, v rmicu e and c m is r ex mp e, ad iti n l in l t on-may n h ne d. If desired, a metal sheet can be placed over the ptoaiorm a e t n rface-not rea ily d ma ed; In t is way,- ot p at s rh t mpe aure u can ,bemad F ure 9 illustrates an t er form. o h h ter and. m thod f 'makin qit whic s pa ti ular y useful for the rna acture of hot plates or se ments of heaters which when assembled, build up a complete-heater. In this case a cord or wire 4: Ogmay be anchored at one end around nail; 4;! which may be driven into a board 42 forming the base of the apparatus on which the jheateris made- Th ord ha in ad 21 .Sfil'hhg .thereon zis passed around a similar nail,

not shown, at the opposite end of board 42 and baek and forth a number of times as illustrated Figure- 9. The cord can be stretched tight. The number got-beads placedqon the cord is deendent upon the l n th ir of the finished heater. The cord b in s retohedtie t, hold the beads in alignment, and the tunnelformed is straight, thus permitting a heating element tobe threaded through it at a later time after the ,cord been removed, The device also has the. advantage that should the heating element .lznirnout :or :be idarnagedit can be replaced.

Fi urev 111 shows an end yiewof a head 2'! embedded in refractory 1.7 and having wire 19 passin throu h th hole -.inrthei ad.- Fi r 12 shows a helical element 49 Lina tunnel through the refractory [1.

spacers-such as beads have been strung,

isto pass '3, threadliz, through oneof the holes, around. the. spacing bead and back through the companion; hole of the pair, then'on to the next pair ofgholesgthereby looping the thread around thespacer and holding-the pacers against the form .59 ,in their D lQper relationship. Another wayofdoingthis is to pass afine wire 53 throu h ne of the holes: rou d. he spac r nd b k throu h: the om-p n onh l and th n rm a twist iitohold the e me t ntention; Ac.-

cordin o another method; a-.W re 5;-- whiohzis sui icientl strona. may be passed; through. one of th holesv around t e. spa erand back-through the companion hole. and then 1ineh d n the inside surface-of form. 50., In thisway th spa ers and he element-are po itioned in non-shortin relat nshipaocordin to a p ede rmined p ttern. The form-.50 has a flange 56 extending around its periphery. This flange is :sufiiciently brondzto form a-zheater of the desired thickness. A second tormfi'l may then be attached to the names y means of brackets 58... An penin '59.;ma-y be left in :thiSaOU-tfil form, in order that thecQherent, r id, hea -resist ntnononductor Bli -maybe introduced While in; plastic form and packed around the :spacers and thewelo-mentas attaohedqtovform .50, ,After this refractory material has been inserted it isqset, preferably by drying, until it forms the rigid, refractory anonconducting body of the heater. The means by which the spacers-were attached to form ,50 can then becut and formcanrbe removed for usecin anoth r-:operation: The hole 59 n be covered by means of a plate attached in; any uitable -manner.- If there is substantial shrinkage of "the refractory awayirom the form 5! during the drying and heating operation, additional plastic material can be forced in between the shell and the dried body and the drying operation repeated. Alternatively, the outerform .57 can beremoyed-i and replaced with asmaller permanent hell;

The. form 50 can be removed by-removing the bracket 58 andrcutting'the fastening means. The heater can'either' be used :in. this condition, after suitable high temperature heating to insure against cracking; etc., or the form 50 .can be replaced withaninner liner which may be of asbestosor glass cloth or other heateresistant fabric including a metal shell Bl which-may have the conto r f the vessel; or article to :be heated. This shell, 16! may-be of stainless steel or other suitable material, Thereis-no .difficulty in this type of heater "from shorting out'the heating element sincethe heating, element is held embed din the. refractory material 60 and may completely coveredby meansiof beads 2'! over its full length. It is also within thErSCOPB of the invention that the spacers lee-spaced .apart from each other as they appear consecutively on the wire. This'can be done if an insulating material such as asbestos cement ora mixture of asbestos, mice and Portland cement isused and the Wire completely embedded.

he formv 51 may comprise a special form for use only in manufacturing the heater or may comprise the outer shell of the heater.

A.-preferred;me,thod of assembling the heater is shown in Figure 15, in which the-inner shell BI is made of metal such as stainless steel. The outer she1162 is made of-aluminum-or steel and is also flanged at-63. A heat-resistant material such as Transite board 64 is attached to the flange B5 on inner shell 61 by means of a bolt 66 or other suitable means. The Transite is also held in place bymeans of" clip 61 attached to flangefitgby means of bolt 63. It will be noted that in this case the beads 21 may notbe attached to the inner liner 6| in thermal heater.

When makingsimple shapes such as that of a cylinder, the beads-21 can be of any desired length nd shape a m y extend engthwise to form a continuous tunnel through refractory iii]. In th s ase the heating elem t tself can. be ins rtedait rwards.-;. It-is als spossibl o nclud eIQneetedlbeads-at inter alsesaid.beadsr stending into the non-conductor and serving to anchor the element more firmly in place. These anchor beads may be held by virtue of the rigidity of the non-conductor, or may be attached to the outer shell by any suitable means. The fact that the tunnels are larger than the heating element has the advantage that the element can easily be replaced in used heaters in which the element burns out.

When manufacturing heaters of a shape such as a segment of a sphere, the heating element must be strung on the heads at the time they are attached to the form 58 in order to be at all a practical method of manufacture.

I claim as my invention:

1. A method of forming a heater which comprises the steps of forming a continuous tunnel in a rigid, heat-resistant non-conductor by molding said non-conductor while in plastic condition completely around a tunnel-forming means and then hardening the plastic material to a permanent shape containing a permanent tunnel-like passage for an electrical resistance element.

2. A method of forming a furnace comprising the steps of arranging tunnel-forming means in a predetermined pattern to form a continuous passageway for a resistance heating element, molding a plastic material capable of setting to a rigid, heat-resistant, non-conducting body completely around said tunnel-forming means, and then hardening the plastic material.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the tunnelforming means comprises a continuous line such as a wire coated with wax.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the tunnelforming means comprises beads strung on a line such as a wire.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein the tunnelforming means is attached in predetermined relationship to a form having the shape of the article to be heated.

6. The method of claim 2 wherein the tunnelforming means is attached to a metal shell having substantially the shape of the article to be heated.

GLEN H. MOREY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 926,695 Frost June 29, 1909 1,767,586 Hudson June 24, 1930 1,835,602 Kercher et al Dec. 8, 1931 2,138,217 Sutter Nov. 29, 1938 2,419,848 Morey Apr. 19, 1947 OTHER REFERENCES Krantz et al.: Ind. & Engg Chem., December 15, 1940, pages 752-753. 

